Panic by Lauren Oliver

People will do anything for money. That is essentially what this book wants us to swallow and fair enough, I can accept its general premise. Panic tells the story of two competitors in a game called 'Panic' where the teenagers of the town must complete ridiculously dangerous tasks in order to have the chance of winning $50,000+. Don't be tricked by the blurb, this is nothing like The Hunger Games. This is a story grounded in reality and the players all choose to take part, rather than being forced into it.

Our protagonists are Heather and Dodge, each taking part for their own personal reasons. Heather starts off in a bad place emotionally and joins in an attempt to make her life more exciting whilst Dodge is playing in order to get revenge for his sister who took part a few years prior. Both characters are fairly likable I guess but they seem rather distant. Maybe that's just down to the third person narration combined with the fact that their emotions aren't explored particularly effectively.

The tasks themselves are certainly dangerous enough and quite creative really. I do find it hard to accept that such a dangerous game would not only continue for so long but be supported by almost everyone in the town. It's made clear that people getting seriously injured and even dying is a common occurrence and yet very few actually voice any objections. And those that do tend not to stick to their opinion.

Mass apathy aside, what other problems are there with this book? Well, I didn't like the ending. Everything was tied up far too quickly and it was all a bit neat for my liking. Also the fact that Dodge was perfectly willing to commit murder and was only prevented from doing so through force didn't sit well with me. Are we still supposed to root for this guy and be glad he had a happy ending?

Overall, Panic is an okay book. There are elements of it I really liked and it was interesting enough to be worth reading. It didn't blow me away though and honestly, I can't say I really cared all that much about the characters. If I'd been more connected to them then I think I would have loved it but otherwise, it just missed the mark.

Overall Score:

.5